Citation

Turner SG, Hall WA. Acta Neurochir. (Wien) 2006; 148(12): 1307-10; discussion 1310.

Affiliation

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00701-006-0850-1

PMID

16868645

Abstract

The treatment of hydrocephalus has benefited recently from the use of programmable shunt valves. These devices can be adjusted using magnets to regulate how much spinal fluid is drained. However, it is unclear to what extent other environmental magnetic sources can affect programmable valves. We present the case of a man who attempted suicide by successfully turning his adjustable valve to a near-maximal setting using a hand-held electromagnet, and discuss other reported cases in order to better understand the effects of environmental magnets on programmable shunt valves.

Language: en